hmmm bleach is acidic right?

[virginia]

I'm concerned that if I use the bleaching technique on cards, it will eventually start breaking down the paper and maybe cause leeching of the bleach into the surrounding cardstock where bleach wasn't used.

Does anyone have any knowledge about this? I want to use the bleaching tech. on some wedding cards, but am not certain they will be scrapbook worthy later. Please please someone tell me what you know!

[ninatar]

Oh, I thought chlorine works by oxidizing materials.

Here's what a science blip on how chlorine works in your backyard pool:

Chlorine kills bacteria though a fairly simple chemical reaction. The chlorine solution you pour into the water breaks down into many different chemicals, including hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite ion (OCl-). Both kill microorganisms and bacteria by attacking the lipids in the cell walls and destroying the enzymes and structures inside the cell, rendering them oxidized and harmless. The difference between HOCl and OCl- is the speed at which they oxidize. Hypochlorous acid is able to oxidize the organisms in several seconds, while the hypochlorite ion may take up to 30 minutes.

The levels of HOCl and OCl- vary with the pool's pH level. If the pH is too high, not enough HOCl is present and pool cleaning can take much longer than normal. Ideally, the level of pH in the pool should be between 7 and 8; 7.4 is ideal -- this is the pH of human tears. Once the HOCl and OCl- are done cleaning the pool, they either combine with another chemical, such as ammonia, or are broken down into single atoms. Both of these processes render the chlorine harmless. Sunlight speeds these processes up. You have to keep adding chlorine to the pool as it breaks down.

While the bacteria-killing properties of chlorine are very useful, chlorine also has some side effects that can be annoying to humans, and possibly even hazardous. Chlorine has a very distinctive smell that most find unpleasant, and some find overwhelming. There is also the "itch factor" -- chlorine can cause certain skin types to become itchy and irritated. The hypochlorite ion causes many fabrics to fade quickly when not rinsed off immediately after exiting the pool. This is why your swimsuit looks faded and worn so early in the summer.

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At some point, the bleach breaks down and quits working. But if you have ever bleached fabric to the point it was worn thin, you know it can be strong stuff.

Nina

[ddietsch]

[quote=virginia]I'm concerned that if I use the bleaching technique on cards, it will eventually start breaking down the paper and maybe cause leeching of the bleach into the surrounding cardstock where bleach wasn't used./quote]

I have several cards using the bleaching technique that are two years old and show no sign of leeching. They're the same as the day they dried!

[indyemmert]

Actually, bleach is a base, which is the opposite of an acid. Bleach does weaken the fibers of paper, but I don't know if it will leach onto other things or not.

[virginia]

Thank you very much ladies. I feel confident that I can bleach my cards now.

[nickelini]

From what I've heard, the power in bleach evaporates after it's been exposed to air for 15 minutes or so. I've noticed that when I do the bleach technique, I have to pour new bleach every so often because it loses its power. So following that line of logic, it shouldn't leach into anything years later. None of my bleached cards have ever caused a problem on surrounding materials. You should be okay.

However, I am not a chemist, so I'm only speaking from experience.

[lrbean37]

True, bleach is a base, that's why it feels slippery to the touch - all bases do.
Acids don't leave that "slippery" feeling...and I thought my college Intro.to Chem. would never come in handy!!

I have yet to use bleach on a scrapbook page, but have tried it on cards.